David Ortiz to serve as commencement speaker at Regis College

Former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz will serve as the 2019 commencement speaker for Regis College in Weston, the school announced in a press release.

Regis will provide Ortiz with an honorary degree thanks to his charitable work with the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, along with his clutch performances on the field.

“David may be known for his heroics on the baseball diamond, but his steadfast commitment to improving the lives of children suffering with severe, critical cardiac conditions in the Dominican Republic and New England are life-saving,” Regis president Antoinette Hays said in the release. “We are honored to have David as our 2019 commencement speaker.”

Ortiz received his first honorary degree from the New England Institute of Technology when he served as the Rhode Island technical college’s commencement speaker in 2017, and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Boston University at its 2017 commencement.

Along with Ortiz, Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera also will speak to the Regis College graduating class and receive an honorary degree.

“Mayor Rivera’s stalwart leadership is an inspiration to his city and to all of those who face adversity,” Hays said in the release. “His story of being a first-generation American college graduate and his commitment to education is reflective of many of our students’ experiences.”

The ceremony will be held at the recently renamed Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion, formerly the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, on May 11.